Keeping Your Waters Clean

Published in the May 2012 IssuePublished online: May 14, 2012Feature

Viewed 316 time(s)

Federal laws have prohibited boaters from dumping untreated septic waste into coastal bodies of water for decades, and the proper way to dispose of wastewater can be confusing. Owners of boats up to 65 feet can rely on the ElectroScan from Raritan, for use in coastal waters which have not been designated "no discharge" by the US EPA. This US Coast Guard-certified Type 1 marine sanitation device (MSD) transforms discharge wastewater so that it is generally cleaner than the waters in which the boat is traveling. The waste treatment process occurs in three phases and automatically starts with each flush.

First, saltwater and untreated waste enters the unit and immediately goes into the maceration chamber; solids are reduced to minute particles by a specially designed cutting blade. Then, electric current is applied to electrodes, which convert the saltwater to a powerful bactericide and oxidizing agent, hypochlorus acid. Bacteria and viruses are forced into contact with the treatment agent.

The next time the treatment unit is activated the treated waste from the maceration chamber crosses over into the mixing chamber. Waste is treated a second time and further broken down by oxidation, eliminating odors, reducing nutrients and resulting in sanitized waste and saltwater.

Finally, treated waste is discharged with <0-5 FC Bacteria/100 mL. Bacteria and viruses are destroyed, while there are no visible floating solids or chemicals added to the process or released. Saltwater is returned to receiving waters. The smallest, most popular and environmentally-friendly treatment system available, ElectroScan records each treatment cycle and stores key information in non-volatile memory that can be summarized on the LCD display or downloaded to a PC. Visit Raritan at www.raritaneng.com or call 856-825-4900.